As You're Told
by A Girl Called Tennessee
Summary: The happenings of the night of the air raid on Finchly, what happens before and during.


**As You're Told**

**Tennessee**

Edmund tossed and turned in his bed causing the sheets to knot and tangle around his legs, he turned onto his stomach while pulling at the cloth to attempt freeing himself, but he wasn't successful. He groaned quietly as not to wake his brother, sleeping in the bed across the room, and yanked the cover off his legs with frustrated force. Then he went on staring at the bedside table, finding it extremely hard to fall back to sleep, or to sleep in general, he couldn't remember if he had already been asleep once and woken up, or if her had only dozed slightly.

He sighed and ran a sweaty hand down his face, without any sort of knowledge of why he was so uneasy. He flipped onto his back and starred at the ceiling where a lone fly that had not to long ago been buzzing around his head and irritating him to no end, was now sitting quietly and just hanging above his bed.

"Wish I had a flyswatter," he thought watching it buzz its wings and move an inch or two. Not that it was extremely bothersome, but he just wanted to take the frustration of not being able to fall asleep on something, and seeing as his little sister had been asleep for several hours he had no one to pester. Well when he bothered Lucy it was more like hitting three birds with one stone, because it made Peter and Suzan angry with him also. But usually this backfired owing to the fact that his older brother would knock him down or yell at him.

He disliked Peter, he disliked most if not all of his siblings, but this was only because of the way he himself had acted towards them after his father had left to go into the war. Before that he had would have just as well been invisible, not to say that he like being invisible, he hated it very much but at least his father saw him. Now he was the pain that everyone was trying to be free of.

Edmund smiled to himself while watching the fly that had suddenly given him an idea to bother his brother, he picked up his pillow and kicked the sheets off of his legs, then stood up and began whacking at the insect while jumping up and down on the bed. He wasn't sure why he wanted to wake his brother, just for pure enjoyment of someone sharing the frustration of not being asleep perhaps, but no one knew, no one ever knew what was going on in that boy's mind. His reasoning was less than desirable, he was almost always lying, and he was often called an itch (bothersome, irritating) by his mother.

Edmund took a leap upwards on the mattress and hit the ceiling with such force it made a loud thumping sound that he was almost positive would wake his brother, but Peter didn't stir. Edmund scowled and jumped again, no longer aiming for the fly, the bigger target made an even louder sound, but again Peter didn't move. The boy snarled and reached high to do it again.

Peter lay still, dreaming of a time where he could join the army like his father. It was not only his dream tonight, but his dream every night and day; it wouldn't be until he was actually in a war that he would regret ever having this crazy plan for his future. He sighed deeply in his sleep and flipped over as a loud and bothersome noise filled his dream, causing him to begin thinking that maybe something was wrong.

He sat strait up in bed and looked around for the source of the noise, finding that his younger brother was hitting the low ceiling again and again and again with his pillow.

"What are you doing?" barked Peter throwing his pillow across the room, but it missed Edmund's head by only an inch and hit the wall, knocking a picture from it.

"Trying to hit a fly," Edmund grinned slyly and then looked up to where the fly had been turned into nothing more than a stain.

"Go to bed," Peter scowled shaking his head and pulling the blankets back over top of himself.

Edmund was slightly disappointed in this reaction so hit the ceiling with his pillow again, even harder than he had before.

"Cut it out!" Peter shouted.

Edmund smiled at hit the ceiling again.

Peter looked like he was going to throw his bedside lamp at his brother now, but instead calmly got up, walked over to his brother, and took the back of his pajama shirt roughly in a tight grasp.

"Let me go!" Edmund scowled as if Peter was the one at fault here.

Peter didn't respond, he simply opened the bedroom door and shoved Edmund into the hallway.

"Hey!"

"Goodnight," Peter said flatly, slamming the door in his brother's face and locking it.

Edmund glared at the closed door, jammed his hands into his packets, and walked around the corner and down the stairs into the living room, which sat quietly in the darkness. The windows' blinds were shut, the front door was locked and the glass was covered with a black paper, and the glow from street lights was gently filtering through the curtains and below the door.

He sighed, a sigh that was more of a growl, and sat down on the sofa with his arms folded, staying there until he heard a sound above his head at the end of the hallway where his sisters' bedroom was. The door opened and his older sister Susan stepped out in her bathrobe looking tired and slightly disoriented then shuffled down the creaking stairs.

Susan walked from the hall into the kitchen, but didn't see Edmund considering the couch was facing away from the kitchen. She yawned, pulled a glass from the cupboard, and filled it with water while Edmund lay down flat on the couch, waiting for her to walk by.

"Susan!" he snapped sitting up strait as she walked by, causing her to scream as the water splashed up in her face.

Edmund laughed slightly knowing that she wouldn't do anything but give him dirty looks. Peter was the one who stood up for her after he did things like this, but then again Susan was always the one chasing after him when he had been hurt by Peter.

"Ed!" she snarled hitting him on the shoulder with the sleeve of her bathrobe.

"Ow!" he exclaimed even though it hadn't hurt.

"Grow up!" she frowned wiping the water from her freckled face and pulling her wet hair up into a tight bun at the back of her head. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Peter locked me out," Edmund said hoping his brother would get in trouble for this.

"I don't blame him," she smiled setting the empty glass down on the counter top and walking back to her room.

Edmund set his jaw in anger and sat back down on the couch as a sudden buzzing of silence filled his ears and he slowly fell asleep, soon to be woken up by an earsplitting bask and a flash of light from behind the curtains.

Edmund jumped and sat bolt up right, the breaths in his chest getting closer and closer together. He could hear his mother shouting for his siblings and running around the second floor of the house. He swallowed hard, knowing what was happening, but not wanting to believe it. He could hear someone tromping down the stairs and lay back down again. Peter ran around the corner through the room without looking to see where his brother was and down the cellar steps.

Edmund slowly got up and walked to the window, where another flash had just erupted from under the curtains, then hesitated and yanked them open. Bright lights were bursting from all ends of the city, each one getting closer and closer. Edmund was frightened, but at the same time intrigued as he pressed his face against the window and his jaw dropped.

Susan came dashing around the corner and out the backdoor into the rain that was drumming on the windows and distorting the light the caused Edmund's pupils to contract drastically and his jaw to drop. His sister didn't notice him standing there though; she was too worried about getting something out into the house. She turned suddenly and ran back down the hall he had seen Peter disappear into, where they collided, Edmund could help but chuckle.

"Is Lucy already out?" she asked throwing her bag over her shoulder and stuffing it with a blanket that was sitting on the chair.

Peter looked around the hall and said, "I think so, I heard someone out here."

"That means Edmund's out too," she nodded, Edmund didn't respond from his corner, he just turned to the window again and watched as another bomb fell and shook the ground beneath their feet.

"Flashlight, I'll get a flashlight," Peter said quickly.

"I'll tell Mom we're out," Susan replied racing up the stairs and around the corner to where their mother was also stuffing a bag full of items.

"We're out," she panted with her hands on her knees.

"Get a flashlight," her mother said without looking up at her.

"Peter already got-"

"Get a flashlight!" her mother shouted without full comprehension of what her daughter had said.

"Right!" she sighed reluctantly and running down the hall into her room.

"Mommy!!!" Susan heard as she entered, it was her younger sister Lucy, thought to be safe already. She had the blankets pulled over her head and was clutching her stuffed dog tightly.

"Lucy, what are you still doing here?!" Suzan shouted taking her sister by the arm and pulling her out of bed as their mother rounded the corner into the living room.

"Edmund!!" she shouted pulling Edmund away from the windows and yanking the curtains shut, "What do you think you're doing?!" she screamed shaking him so violently he could have sworn his brain rattled around in his head.

"Peter!" she said over her shoulder as Lucy and Susan came around corner and pushed through the kitchen and out the backdoor, then continued stuffing her bag full of everything she could carry.

Peter raced from the backroom and had Edmund shoved at him. Edmund wobbled slightly, his brother catching him before he could fall, but he pushed him away almost immediately.

"Bomb shelter! The bomb shelter! Go!" their mother screamed running out, herself.

"But, but!" Edmund said trying to get past his brother, but Peter pushed him out the door.

Now outside they could feel the rain mixed with ashes and soot heavy on their skin and the wind, increasing with every detonation on the horizon. Lucy's screams of terror flooded their ears and the muddy grass stained their bare feet almost up to their ankles. Their mother flipped the bomb shelter door open and shepherded her daughters in when Edmund broke free of Peter's grasp and tore back to the house.

"Edmund come back!!!" his mother shrieked.

"I got him!" Peter shouted back running after his brother.

"PETER!!!" but he was already bolting for his brother as the wailing screeches of the sirens grew louder and higher.

Edmund raced through the room, leaping over the sofa and to the small wooden table nearest the window, the distress signal raising its level more and more with each passing moment.

Peter tackled his brother to the ground, shielding Edmund's head with his own and hoping he would be alright as the sirens screamed to their highest volume and the glass of the windows shattered all over the two, causing Peter's face to be cut up and the sliver of Edmund's that was visible to be slashed across his cheek.

"Just leave it! Leave it!" Peter screamed pulling his brother upright, knowing another blast was coming, and coming quickly.

Edmund tumbled to the floor to grab the picture of his father that's glass had been cracked and the picture sliced.

"Go!" Peter said pushing Edmund out into the yard and down into the bomb shelter where he collapsed on the ground beside his mother who wrapped him in a hug as tears rolled down his bleeding face.

"What's wrong with you!" his brother yelled, "You could have killed us!"

Edmund didn't respond, he looked hurt out of fear, and being yelled at was the last thing he wanted.

"You're so selfish!"

"Stop it!" his mother frowned placing a hand on Edmund's shoulder.

"Why can't you just do as you're told?"

_Hey all you readers! This is of course Tennessee, but you knew that already. Know I found this piece interesting to write because the end of the scene is from the movie, the beginning is my own. I just thought i tmight be fun to describe in detail what I thought would be happening. If you didn't like it please tell me NICELY! I think i speak for all when I say I do not need more stress in my life!_

_Thanks!_

_Tennessee_


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